Detailed study of a key passage from Camus` The Outsider

The Search for Meaning in The Stranger

Albert Camus ' novel , The Stranger is in many ways a quest for meaning within an absurd world . In this way , the end of the sixth chapter is significant within the novel as it represents a defining moment in this search and a shift in Meursault 's understanding of and approach to his own existence . In shooting the Arab , Meursault 's essentially sets a course for his life , and though this course is toward a certain death its reality is new to Meursault . Thus , the passage that

describes him shooting the Arab is key to understanding the novel itself

The style of the passage is particularly important in that Camus uses one very long paragraph to convey the majority of his final encounter with the Arab . This one paragraph begins with Meursault 's realization that he could turn back and ends with him standing over the dead Arab after having shot him five times . By keeping this as a single paragraph , Camus gives a feeling of inevitability to the climax . Once Meursault decides to continue , there can be no other possible outcome

This and the other four fairly lengthy paragraphs that comprise the passage further serve to slow the action and give an sense of suspended time if not reality . The length of the paragraphs as well as their structure also parallel Meursault concept of reality . Meursault 's existence is one of isolated incidents . His essential struggle is one for meaning because to him events have no connection . For Meursault the past and the future are completely divorced from the present . This also explains why he does not seem to locate any connection between his writing the letter and the confrontation on the beach : for him there is no connection . The murder then is truly a turning point for Meursault because it is an action that is certain to have an effect

Even in this key passage , Meursault is removed from reality . Meursault does not seem to connect with his actions in shooting the Arab . In describing his actions , he says , my whole being tensed and I squeezed my hand around the revolver . The trigger gave I felt the smooth underside of the butt their in that noise , sharp and deafening at the same time , is where it all started . I shook off the sweat and the sun (56 . Significantly , nowhere in this is there the actual shooting of the Arab . The only recognition of this comes in Meursault 's statement that he shattered ' the beaches ' silence which is followed by his more explicit admission that he then fired for more times at the motionless body (57

Similarly , Meursault displaces the antagonism of the Arab as well as any motive that he might have onto inanimate objects . Rather than looking to his own motives Meursault considers the sun as pushing him it was the sun 's burning , which I couldn 't stand anymore , that made me move forward ' The moment before he shots...